Prince Harry tones down his language about killing Taliban as he lands back in the UK

Prince Harry did his best to dampen down the controversy over his off-guard
remarks about killing the Taliban by saying only that he had done "things
that you would be expected to do" as a soldier during his tour of
Afghanistan.

Asked to clarify whether he had indeed taken lives during his time in Helmand, he gave a far more diplomatic answer than before, referring to his role "supporting the Afghan people" and refusing to make any direct reference to killing.

His homecoming was overshadowed by the row over his candid language in interviews conducted in theatre, when he said he had to "take a life to save a life" and compared operating the Apache helicopter's weapons system to playing video games.

After landing at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, he was told that headlines had quoted him saying he killed Taliban insurgents and was asked: "Is that what happened?"

He said: "“Is that what happened? For the thousands of guys that are on operations at the moment we’re continuing to try and do a job, a job for ourselves, a job for the guys left and right of us, and from my point of view especially, for the guys on the ground.

"We are supporting the Afghan people, supporting the Afghan army, the way things are going is fantastic, the difference between 2006 and now is absolutely fantastic.

"You get asked to do things that you would expect to do wearing this uniform and that’s as simple as that really.”

The Prince, who had undoubtedly been briefed by St James's Palace aides to avoid the sort of headline-grabbing language which some Afghans said had handed a propaganda victory to the Taliban, also said he was "longing" to see his brother and sister-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

He said of his 20-week tour: "It’s been great, a hell of an experience, I’m really proud of the whole squadron and everyone else out there.

“Everything seems to be s going in the right direction, it’s very different to when I was last out there, but yeah, I’m just thrilled to be back."

He said he had enjoyed "a bit of blue sky" in Cyprus, where he had two days "decompression" on the way home, before coming "back to the snow".

He added: "Four and a half months has gone really quickly but I’m really happy to be back.

“I’m longing to see my brother and sister-in-law, as any other soldier who has just come off the plane after four and a half months away, I really am longing to catch up with people.”

Asked about his plans for the next year, he said: "2013 – unlucky for some – I really don’t know. The Army will have an idea, I presume, what it is I’ll do, and given the opportunity I’d like to take on more royal stuff.

“Pre-deployment has been very busy, hopefully there will be a few gaps that open up, and as long as I stay current, flying, I’ll be able to pay some more attention to the charity and stuff like that. That’s the plan, but no plan survives contact."

While he was at Camp Bastion, the Prince, 28, said his life there was "as normal as it's going to get" and he was asked on his return whether he craved normality in his life.

“I would never want to be stuck behind a computer desk in the City, if that's the question," he said. "I don’t know what normal is any more, I never really have done but there are three parts of me, the one wearing the uniform, the one being Prince Harry and the private, behind closed doors kind of stuff.

"There is nothing normal about what we’ve been doing for the last four and a half months, there’s nothing normal about what’s going on out there; Christ, in the last day that I was there a seven-year-old girl got shot down by the insurgents so normality is a very ambiguous thing if you know what I mean.

“At the end of the day I will continue being myself. I enjoy being a soldier, I enjoy the guys that I work with and I’ve had a hell of an experience the last four or five months. We together, the guys wearing the uniform, have done a damn good job and everyone deserves the time away with their families. It’s been a good effort.”

The Prince returned on a regular Airbus A330 personnel flight but did not follow his unit, 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, to its Suffolk headquarters, instead leaving "privately" for a reunion with his family.

Meanwhile, a colleague of the Prince revealed his mischievous side.

Former Apache Squadron Commander Richard Youngs told ITV News: “My favourite Harry moment is when we went mountain flying in France and landing at Le Touquet airport and a big entourage coming out to meet him.

"The French officer walks up to him – we were taking our immersion suits off and refuelling the aircraft – and the officer asked him when Prince Harry would be arriving and he, quick as a flash, looked back at him and said 'he's on the next aircraft in', quickly smiled at me, gave me a wink, got back in the cockpit and we flew off."